Monday, 23 December 2019, Pages 598 - 599

We stopped at "... on fattafottafutt." (599.8)

Our next reading session will be in 2020 on the 6th of January at the usual time. Till then have a good time and a good beginning to the next decade!

The section we read is very dense with hidden meanings. (We had read previously of HCE and ALP sleeping, and then of the breaking of the dawn.) Let us look at a few of these sentences and their possible interpretations:
- You have eaden fruit. (Thinking in terms of the garden of Eden, of Adam and Eve, of the apple, one could say that the person, HCE (?) has reached enlightenment.)
- It was a long, very long, a dark, very dark, ... stumble-tumbling night. . . Now day, slow day, from delicate to divine, divides. (This refers to the traditional view of creation and destruction. The period of destruction lasts long.)
- Padma, brighter and sweetster, this flower that bells, it is our hour or risings. (In the Hindu mythology, creation takes place when the supreme god Vishnu wakes up with the urge for creation. A Padma (lotus flower) emerges from his navel on which the creator god Brahma is seated. (See the painting below!) The creation of the universe starts. It is our hour of risings!
- In that earopean end meets Ind. (Joseph Campbell explains: "This is the moment of Sandhyas, when the opposites come together. Europe and India, empirical knowledge and intuitive wisdom, are now one.")

(A miniature painting from the Pahari region, Master painter from Mankot, 1700/20,
Museum Rietberg, Zürich)

Monday, 9 December 2019, Pages 595 - 596

Our reading stopped at "... parasama to himself..." (596.24)

After the sunrise, we (?) are taken on a tour of the area. Some of the places we see are Howth (Hill of Hafid), various counties of Ireland, among them Kerry (curries) and Kilkenny (kilalooly), Wellington's monument (vellumtomes muniment), ... Someone (HCE?) is still sleeping (svap) though the cock crows (Conk a dook he's doo). 

Monday, 2 December 2019, Pages 593 - 595

Stopped reading at "Whake?" (595.3)

A new cycle of life is starting, a new dawn is breaking. As is many mythological stories, a hand from the cloud emerges, holding a chart expanded. A bit of searching on the web also told me that this is depicted on the crest of the Finnegans family as published in the Weekly Irish Times dated 18 July 1936.

Anyway, there is a grand announcement heralding sunrise. With many Sanskrit words mixed in the text, someone (most probably Earwicker) is calling out to the Sun. He says: "Guide us from our house of death through kingdom come to Heliptropolis, city of the sun." The new place will be bright with light.

Monday, 25 November 2019, Pages 590 - 593

Stopped reading at ". ..  humuluation." (593.15)

We have started the last book, book IV.
Introducing book IV, Joseph Campbell writes the following in A Skeleton Key to Finnegans Wake:

"The cycle of a life has run its course. The hero in his soul's anguish dreamed of a future the would be gloriously mastered by his John o' Dreams son, but beheld the vision disintegrate and dissolve. In the end all reduced itself to a dowdy, unpromising present. The man and woman had reached the end of their fruitfulness. Love was no longer what it once had promised."

Book IV starts with chanting three times, Sandhyas! Sandhyas! Sandhyas! (Sandhya is a Sanskrit word meaning twilight. According to McHugh, this can also be read as Sanctus, Sanctus, Sanctus. McHugh also gives the meaning as 'peace' by reading Sandhyas as Samdhi. This interpretation can not be correct because the Sanskrit word for 'peace' is 'Shanti'.) Thus the first chapter reads as if people are being called upon to witness something that we hopefully will understand as we read more of the book. What is clear is that history will continue in the cyclic manner, the old giving way to new. Past deeds are being cleared up, cleaned up. The fog (smog) is lifting (lofting). One is reminded to wash off the dirt with Pears' soap (have yous vieswed Piers' aube?)

Interestingly the first paragraph of Book IV echoes parts of Ulysses:
Similar to the beginning of this book, episode 14, Oxen of the Sun, in Ulysses starts with repeating thrice each of the following sentences: Deshil Holles Eamus. Send us bright one, light one, Horhorn, quickening and wombfruit. Hoopsa boyaboy hoopsa!
The sentence here in Book IV, Guld modning, have yous viewed Piers' aube?, clearly echoes the sentence, "Good morning, have you used Pears' soap?" from Lotus Eaters, episode 5.

Monday, 18 November 2019, Pages 588 - 590

We stopped at "... on his bankrump." (590.3)

This means that on coming Monday, we shall be starting with the last chapter of Finnegans Wake. It is just 35 pages long.

Monday, 11 November 2019, Pages 586 - 588

The reading stopped at "O so mine!" (588.14)

Luke's dumbshow has lasted long. It is not over even when the act between ALP and HCE is over. He mentions the patrolman again. The one who had seen the act by the shadows displayed on the Persian blinds while he was passing by. Now, says Luke, this person will not see much as all is quiet. If he brought his boots to pause in peace (stopped on the road), all that he would hear is the sound of water flowing (the flow of wand was gypsing water...) in the Liffy.
He then brings in two other people, who present another point of view. One of them is Jimmy d'Arcy. We are not told who the other one is. But we do know that they watched a pantomime (puntomine) in the Theatre Regal (Theoatre Regal) eating nuts (nutty woodbines) and Cadbury chocolates (cadbully's choculars).

Monday, 4 November 2019, Pages 584-586

We stopped at "... homelet not a hothel."  (586.18)

We know already that the sexual act between ALP and HCE was concluded as the hen began in a kikkery key to laugh it off. Was ALP (the hen) laughing at HCE? Was HCE the one who crowed triumphantly cocorico?

Whatever it was, I suspect that in focussing on the act between the two, we have ignored so far other layers Joyce could have hidden in these pages. ALP and HCE could as well be replaced by England and Ireland or equally plausibly by the Catholic and Protestant churches. Worth thinking about though!